"I'm heading back too," Li Buyan said, his tone calm as he stood up. "I need to check on my granddaughter. I'm afraid she might not be thinking straight. If anything else unexpected happens tonight, you'll have to handle it as you see fit."
Qin Jianguo grunted.
With Xu Hanchen and Li Buyan both occupied with their own pressing matters, Qin Jianguo was the only one with free time, and the responsibility naturally fell upon him. Contrary to what the outside world might imagine, Qin Jianguo felt no joy at this.
Chen Jinzhao was too important to Hua Country. While Chen Jinzhao was around, those petty individuals wouldn't dare set foot within Hua Country's borders. It was predictable that things would calm down for a while, as those forces knew they had been deterred by Hua Country's forceful show of strength. However, after this period of deterrence passed, those hostile elements would reappear.
"I wonder who will step forward this time?" Qin Jianguo shook his head. He had no answer in his heart. If only Li Tiannan of Yanjing were to step up, it still wouldn't be enough. Qin Jianguo also did not wish to see the Li family become overly dominant.
"This is truly the darkest day in nearly thirty years."
At that time, Li Buyan returned home. Upon learning that Yu Mengzhi's emotions had stabilized, he finally felt relieved. Li Buyan doted on his granddaughter. He wanted to say something to Yu Mengzhi, but since her mood was not good, Li Buyan ultimately did not disturb her.
Besides that, Li Buyan also instructed Li Tiannan to keep an eye on Yu Mengzhi, lest she do anything foolish out of despair. Li Tiannan accepted this responsibility without hesitation, giving Li Buyan his word.
Li Buyan stood in the backyard, hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry sky. He murmured to himself, "I heard it snowed in Lingnan. I remember the last time it snowed in Lingnan was ten years ago. Is the heavens telling me something? Chen Jinzhao, you left too soon."
"Those who achieve great things are often solitary. To succeed, one must sacrifice something. You are still too young," Li Buyan commented on Chen Jinzhao. In his opinion, Chen Jinzhao was too driven by emotion. A man should be able to bend and stretch, not just act impulsively. However, these words were something Chen Jinzhao could no longer hear.
Thinking of this, Li Buyan suddenly let out a bitter smile and murmured, "Even if Chen Jinzhao could hear me, what then? If Chen Jinzhao became heartless and unrighteous, would he still be Chen Jinzhao? It was his compassion and righteousness that forged him into the Zhulong that enemies feared; he didn't become compassionate and righteous after achieving greatness."
Chen Jinzhao had sacrificed himself, and Li Buyan's current thoughts were meaningless. He could only look to the long term, hoping to cultivate another Chen Jinzhao—though it would be difficult.
Meanwhile, Xu Hanchen returned to his small courtyard. Xu Shaoan could sense that the old man's spirits were not good, but he didn't know what to say.
"Where is Yao Yao?" Xu Hanchen asked.
"She went to the Li family. She said she wanted to comfort Yu Mengzhi. But I feel like this girl is also quite sad. I don't know who is comforting whom," Xu Shaoan said. As if concerned that his father might worry about Xu Yao Yao's safety, he added, "I've sent people to protect her. There won't be any accidents."
Xu Hanchen grunted, indicating that Xu Yao Yao was not to be worried about.
"You go back. I want to be alone," Xu Hanchen said. Xu Shaoan sighed and quietly left the courtyard.
Xu Hanchen sat alone in the backyard, lost in thought. The first time he saw Chen Jinzhao, he was a callow youth. Later, Chen Jinzhao's repeated meritorious deeds gradually drew Xu Hanchen's attention. Xu Hanchen had placed great hopes on Chen Jinzhao, wishing for this young man to succeed him. Later, Chen Jinzhao indeed grew as Xu Hanchen had hoped, displaying a formidable presence that struck fear into the hearts of enemies. All that was beautiful came to an abrupt end this morning.
Xu Hanchen, uncharacteristically, lit himself a cigarette. Before this, Xu Hanchen abstained from smoking and drinking except on special occasions. "This cigarette is from an old man to you," Xu Hanchen said. If he could, he would have preferred it to be himself who died. Of course, there were no "ifs" in this world.
One night passed, and Xu Hanchen barely slept, causing Xu Shaoan great concern. After all, Xu Hanchen was old and could not withstand such an ordeal. Xu Hanchen expressed that it was fine; his age was already advanced. How long he would live was a matter of fate.
Xu Shaoan quickly said, "Dad, you must pull yourself together. Chen Jinzhao has sacrificed himself. We cannot live in the past. The immediate priority is to regroup and resist domestic and foreign enemies. Our ideals cannot be swayed by the life and death of one person. Besides, we still need to form a funeral committee and you need to see Chen Jinzhao off on his final journey."
Xu Hanchen's eyes flickered. After a moment, he said, "Help me get a coat. I need to go to the Forbidden City to see that person."
"Dad, aren't you going to rest? You haven't slept all night..." Xu Shaoan was worried.
Xu Hanchen said expressionlessly, "Just get me the coat. Stop talking so much nonsense."
"Yes."
As Xu Hanchen entered the Forbidden City, he met Li Buyan at the entrance. Both seemed surprised to see the other there. Li Buyan hesitated and asked, "Old ghost Xu, what are you doing here?"
"And you?" Xu Hanchen asked.
They looked at each other. Li Buyan chuckled, "I think we had the same idea. If I'm not mistaken, you're hoping that Hua Country will officially authorize a search and rescue operation in that sea area? If we can't see him alive, we must see his body. We need to bring Chen Jinzhao's soul home."
Xu Hanchen nodded. That was precisely his intention.
Together, they entered the city and requested an audience with "that person." Upon hearing their report, that person immediately approved the matter. Under their watchful eyes, the prominent figure residing in the Forbidden City made calls to Mithril and Dongying, firmly obtaining permission for the search and rescue. Xu Hanchen and Li Buyan immediately set to work, organizing forces to go to the Dongying sea area for the search.
Xu Hanchen even harbored a fantasy that since Chen Jinzhao had repeatedly survived near-death situations, perhaps this time he would also emerge as he had on previous occasions. The search team arrived in the relevant waters that same afternoon. After three days and three nights of searching, they only managed to recover the remains of a Xinluo soldier. Chen Jinzhao remained missing. This caused everyone's hearts to sink.
Seven days passed. The search team found only a piece of torn cloth. After comparison, it was identified as belonging to Chen Jinzhao's clothing. The bloodstains on the cloth indicated that Chen Jinzhao had suffered severe injuries, and the probability of survival was close to zero. Hua Country did not give up, continuing to deploy a large number of personnel for the search.
A month passed. The search team still could not find any trace of Chen Jinzhao. By this time, everyone had come to realize that Chen Jinzhao might truly be dead.
A month and a half later, a memorial service for Chen Jinzhao was held. A cenotaph was erected in the Beijing Public Cemetery.
Three months later, Hua Country abandoned the search.